Skelton's father was a circus clown who died before Red was born. By age 15 Skelton was performing on the vaudeville circuit, and in the late 1930s he found work in Broadway, radio, and film. He performed a comic sketch in The Ziegfeld Follies (1946) and played in numerous comic movies for MGM, including Du Barry Was a Lady (1943). His popular TV show, The Red Skelton Show (1951–71), featured his classic characters Freddy the Freeloader and Clem Kadiddlehopper. In 1988 he received a Life Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild. Skelton also produced and sold paintings of clowns.